Where plastination meets people
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by Chris Clark (buzz@boulderweekly.com)

Plastination. That's a word not mentioned all that often at the dinner table. "Exactly what is it and how is it done?" many may ask. Those are two questions I asked myself before heading to Denver's Museum of Nature and Science to see Body Worlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. For those who've had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of creator Dr. Gunther von Hagens' innovative and highly educational traveling exhibit, the answers to those two questions are rather apparent.

Invented in 1977 by Dr. von Hagens, plastination is a future-like technology that replaces fat and bodily fluids with silicone rubber and other reactive polymers. The result is a vacuum-forced impregnation of the body where hardening plastics form actual human cadavers into realistic poses that portray everyday movements and activities. While being a lot to swallow, the science is truly magnificent to witness.

Running at DMNS from March 10 to July 23, Body Worlds 2 offers an enlightening, instructive and awe-inspiring glance into the human body, its functions and the various effects of routine choices on the human body. Visitors are able to discover a world normally known only to surgeons and are encouraged to take an enhanced and deeper look into our anatomy, physiology and the effects of lifestyle choices (exercise and diet, for instance) on physical health. From "The Ponderer," whose lifelike positioning clearly illustrates the complex neurology of the human body, to the "Ice Skating Couple" posed in perfect plastinated equilibrium, highlighting each body's muscular system, Body Worlds 2 is an almost surreal display of the vast complexity and intricate design that is the human body. Boasting more than 200 real human specimens, Body Worlds 2 tackles just about everything. Included are the likes of the effects of arthritis and the aging process, tobacco's lasting consequences and even a three-month old unborn fetus.

Dr. Gunther von Hagens sums up his work: "Plastinated anatomy is beauty beneath the skin, frozen in time between death and decay. It opens the heart to our inner self and makes us fall in love with our own body."

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com

Artflash events for the week of 5/11/06

Boulder County

All This Juice and Joy — By Leah Bradley. Lincoln Gallery, Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, 303-245-4637, through May 15.

Carolyn Evans Campbell. Rockin' Rose Gallery, 338 Main St., Longmont, 303-772-7224, through June 3.

The Cinnamon Rose — By Trish Flanders. Fast Frame, 2317 30th St., Boulder, 303-448-1000, through May.

Classic Cars and Motorcycles — By Jon Eggers. Edward Jones Investments Gallery, 3980 N. Broadway #201, Boulder, 303-441-0204, through May 30.

Intuition vs. Intention. UMC Art Gallery, University Memorial Center, CU Campus, Boulder, 303-492-6161, through June 2.

Mark LaGue. SmithKlein Gallery, 1116 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-444-7200, through May.

Our Louisville: Finding the Soul of a City. The Art Affaire, 544 County Rd., Louisville, 303-665-2074, and Pasquini's, 816 Main St., Louisville, 303-673-9400, through July 15.

Paroxysm — Spring 2006 Bachelors of Fine Arts Exhibition. CU Art Museum, Sibell-Wolle Fine Arts, CU Campus, Boulder, 303-492-8300, through May 12.

Phil Lewis. Zing Salon, 1100 Spruce St., Boulder, 303-444-4446, through May.

Trompe L'Oeil: The Art of Illusion. Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd., Longmont, 303-651-8374, through July 9.

Wonders of the West — By Nadim Yared. Barnes and Noble, 2915 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-447-2422, through May.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Arts

1750 13th St., Boulder, 303-443-2122, through July 29.

Summer Exhibition — By Emmi Whitehorse, Tracy Krumm and Rebecca DiDomenico.

Boulder Public Library

1000 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, 303-441-3100.

BCAP World Assistance — Through May 30.

Cinco de Mayo — Through May 30.

Eccentric Artists' Gardens — Through June 4.

Functional Porcelain — By Connie Christensen, through May 31 (Meadows Branch, 4800 Baseline Rd.).

Kevin Crafts. Through July (Arapahoe Ramp).

Monotypes — By Jessica Gonacha, through May 30.

Voices in an Expressive World — Teen artists, through May.

Dairy Center for the Arts

2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826, through June 2.

Reverie: A Journey into the Dreamstate — By Annette Coleman.

PlainSpace — By Sara Distin.

to change — By Jane McMahan.

Metro Denver

BodyWorlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, 303-322-7009, through July 23.

Classic American Pin-up Art. Old South Frame and Gallery, 1588 S. Pearl St., Denver, 303-715-3828, through May 21.

Colorado and the West. David Cook Galleries, 1637 Wazee St., Denver, 303-623-8181, through June 3.

From Nordenskiold to Nusbaum: Photography, Archaeology and Tourism in the Early Years of Mesa Verde National Park. Denver Public Library, Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy., Denver, 720-865-1111, through May 31.

Nature of Things or Things in Nature. Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant St., Denver, 303-778-6990, through June 23.